Pin headers are commonly used for connecting electrical components to a printed circuit board. Pin headers typically include a plurality of pins extending from a base, the pins are configured for engagement with an electrical component, such as through a ribbon cable connector or otherwise, and for engagement with a printed circuit board. More specifically, individual pins of the pin header are inserted through openings formed in the printed circuit board. The pin headers are affixed to the printed circuit board through reflow soldering process, using soldering paste, to ensure electrical connection.
While the material forming the conductive pins may vary, the material forming the base should be particularly suited for use with printed circuit boards. For example, the base material should be heat resistant so as to withstand elevated temperatures commonly encountered during activation of solder paste used for mounting components to a printed circuit board. Commonly, this reflow soldering process sometimes subjects the electrical components to temperatures in the range of about 260° C. or more. Also, the base material should be electrically insulating and suitably strong for supporting pins. These features have lead to the use of specialized thermoplastics. Unfortunately, the materials particularly suited for these types of applications, and temperatures, can be relatively expensive, comparatively, for low volume productions.
Some pin headers are being formed utilizing over-molding processes, whereby a base is formed about a plurality of pins. The utilization of over-molding processes requires the creation and purchasing of unique tools, such as injection moldings. Moreover, other pin forming techniques require the use of specialized pin pushing and stamping tools. Furthermore, the shipment cost of tools and completed components can be appreciable. While such methods may be cost effective for large volume production applications, they are not cost effective, and relatively expensive, for low production applications wherein only several, dozens or even a few hundred pin headers are needed. This can be the case in research and development projects, low volume production applications or otherwise.